Prior to my current work family I spent six years in the insurance industry as a case manager. In that period of time I learned many things but was never ‘formally’ introduced to the concept of professional development. After my time in the insurance industry I was hired by JFC Workforce. It was a foreign world and industry to me however I was excited to embark on a different path. That was three years ago and “wow” was I in for an awakening.

It was at JFC where I was propelled into being a student of deliberate learning; not just about the industry but also about myself. It was a pivotal moment where professional development was infused into my mindset.

From the very first day, heck the very first hour, it was apparent that my employer genuinely cared about my personal and professional growth. Several of the VP’s spent one on one time with me and welcomed me to the team. The CEO even spent time to learn about me and explain the vision and culture. It was quite surreal. It was also during those first few encounters that it sunk in…”I had gained a second family, my JFC family.”

I was dedicated to their philosophy of pursuing my better self and it was noticed. Most recently I was selected for JFC’s Professional Development program – when each year a select few team members are entrenched in executive mentoring, consultation, coaching, as well as lesson study, and of course, team building activities.

So what did I learn?

I was introduced to the topic of Emotional Intelligence and the “why” behind it. If you have never heard of this, I urge you to look it up. Emotional Intelligence, or EQ, is critical to self development.

Here is the essence of EQ:

Self-awareness – Your ability to accurately perceive your emotions and stay aware of them as they happen. This includes keeping you on top of how you ten to respond to specific situations and certain people.

Self-Management – Your ability to use awareness of your emotions to stay flexible and positively direct your behavior. This means managing your emotional reactions to all situations and people.

Social Competence – The combination of your social awareness and relationship management skills. It’s more about how you are with other people.

Social Awareness – Your ability to accurately pick up on emotions in other people and get what is really going on. This often means understanding what other people are thinking and feeling, even if you don’t feel the same way.

In 1993 NASA suffered extra pressure and great stress when the Hubble Space Telescope broke down. They faced a daunting task of figuring out how to go up in space and fix the distorted mirror inside the telescope. For months the brightest minds in NASA couldn’t identify a solution.

Then one day NASA engineer, Jim Crocker, was taking a shower in a hotel and noticed how the shower head was mounted on adjustable rods with folding arms. Eureka! The answer did not appear while working late hours in the lab. It occurred when Jim was in the shower on vacation, when he created space (no pun intended) from the perplexity of his problem.

Creating space allows our minds to process thoughts more freely and creatively. Heck, Newton discovered gravity when sitting under an apple tree. It requires purposeful separation from the typical problem solving environment in order to let your thoughts move more freely. It happens when thinking on a problem while out for a stroll, riding a bike, or sitting out in nature (under an apple tree).

Why does creating space work? Your brain is like any muscle in your body. Imagine lifting weights multiple times per week but only on biceps. Doing so will surely strain and fatigue those muscles. Thus, when you are consumed by constantly tackling the same challenge at work, you actually lose mental energy needed to identify solutions. This is when it’s time to create space!

June is the halfway mark. You are six months into 2016. Are you where you should be? Are you where you want to be? Take time, create space, and allow deep thought to happen. The goal is not to be perfect – it is just to be better than before.

Please share your thoughts in the comments section below as I learn just as much from you as you do from me.

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